For shadow dwelling women

July 4, 2016July 10, 2016

“Realms” by Darkher

Lisa “Realms”, the long-awaited debut album by Darkher, will be released on August 19th.

The first time I got to really listen to the music by the West Yorkshire based singer-songwriter Jayn H. Wissenberg, the woman behind Darkher, was during her live performance at last year’s Prophecy Fest. Since I had not been very familiar with her 2014 EP “The Kingdom Field” before, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I eventually found myself overwhelmed by the magical, yet somewhat melancholic aura spread by Jayn H. Wissenberg. Maybe it was the setting (the festival took place inside a cave!), maybe it was that cape of feathers Wissenberg wore – like a bird, ready to spread its wings and fly away to some enchanted, ancient place – but already back then Wissenberg’s voice, which is delicate and strong at the same time, carried me to other ‘realms’.

A couple of days ago, an album trailer was released on YouTube (see below). Although the trailer does not give away much as far as the music is concerned, it sets a certain mood, which is somewhat gloomier than what I remember from their live performance. The album is advertised as “musical exploration of Darkher’s relationship with fear, death and spirituality” and it further “question[s] how love can connect souls from past, present and future”. Or, in Wissenberg’s own words: “Amidst the immense sadness brought upon by grief, these signs were both uplifting and magical, and this compounded my belief in other ‘Realms'”.